Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s Exoskeleton Became “An Instant Hint at The Studio”

Sledgehammer co-founders discuss the gameplay potential of the new exo-suit.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s exoskeleton, which allows superhuman feats like high jumps and climbing up walls, may be a call back to the suits seen in films like Elysium and RoboCop. However, Sledgehammer Games had decided on it 2.5 years ago and knew that it would redefine the franchise.

Speaking to CVG, studio co-founder Michael Condrey stated that, “San Francisco was the second level we developed during pre-production in early 2012 and the first one with our exo-boost mechanic. The addition of verticality to combat became an instant hit at the studio, and the anchor of the exoskeleton player movement innovations.

“That was the moment – the exact moment – we fully realised the new gameplay potential, more than two and a half years ago. And it was just the beginning.”

Condrey also stated that despite the futuristic weaponry, “This is not a science-fiction experience. We’re laser-focused on delivering a Call Of Duty experience, and by that I mean grounded in a believable, realistic near-future experience.”

Co-founder Glen Schofiel added that, “But [the] future was definitely one of the things we were talking about very early. We all agreed on 45-50 years in the future. Private military companies [also] came very early, and the exoskeleton was even an idea that came up on the press trip before Modern Warfare 3 shipped.”